Process for producing the alloy of titanium with lead.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTE J. ROSSI, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE TITANIUM ALLOY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE ALLOY OF TITANIUM WITH LEAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

No Drawing. Original application filed May 6, 1910, Serial No. 559,657. Divided and this application filed February 4, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTE J. Rossi, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Producing the Alloy of Titanium with Lead, of which the following is a specification.

My present application is a division of my pending application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 559,657, filed May 6, 1910, allowed December 23, 1910, and my present invention relates to a novel method of producing the alloy of titanium with lead and has for its object the prevention, more efliciently and economically than heretofore, of oxidation, volatilization, or other undesired alterations of the lead so alloyed or combined and also of the said titanium during the production of said alloy. In producing the said alloy, more or less difficulty has been encountered, due to such oxidation, volatilization, etc., resulting not only in nude: sired losses of the metals themselves, but also, in some instances, production of fumes deleterious to the operator. The losses and other undesirable incidents referred to are to be expected particularly when the said alloy is produced, as is otherwise desirable, in anelectric furnace of the type known as an open furnace, but may also be expected undesirably during the formation of the alloy in any other electrical or other apparatus in which sufficient or equivalent requisite temperature may be developed. It will be understood that in the formation of said alloy the titanium is usually supplied to the charge in the form of its oxid, and that the chemical reactions resulting in the volatilizations, losses, etc., above referred to, are usually between constituents of the forming alloy and of the atmosphere, and

therefore require, for the prevention of such combinations, interposition between said alloy and atmosphere of a coating of molten material normally impervious by the atmosphere.

My present invention may be practiced as follows: Into one of the now well known forms of so-called electric furnaces, such for example as illustrated and described in Letters Patent No. 802,914, granted to me Serial N0. 606,451.

October 24, 1 905, I charge a predetermined quantity of lead intended to be alloyedwith the titanium. Such lead has been previously melted, or is melted, in the said furnace, so as to produce a bath of moltenlead. It is obvious that the said bath might be produced by reducing directly in the said furnace an oxid of lead. Onto the surface of said bath is then charged a chemical compound of calcium, preferably the oxid 0:10, the said charge so added being in quantity suflicient to constitute when melted a complete covering or coating for the exposed surface of the underlying molten lead bath. After the lime has melted, or While it is melting, there is next superimposed thereon a charge of a mixture of titanium oxid and carbon, preferably comminuted and agglomerated in briquets, the carbon of the said last mentioned mixturebeing so proportioned as to be in sufficient quantity to reduce-both the said titanium oxid and the lime. As equivalent for and in lieu of titanium oxid or of oxid of calcium a titanate of lime (CaO,TiO,), might to such extent as desired be employed the titanlum content of which may be such as to impart to the resulting alloy the desired content of titanium. In such cases the said titanate, comprising titanium in a chemical combination reducible by carbon and also calcium in a chemical combination reducible by carbon, is similarly mixed Withcarbon, the proportion of the latter being suflicient to insure reduction of the lime, if any, present, also formation of calcium carbid, also liberation of metallic titanium, or, in certain cases, it may be found desirable to substitute completely for both the said lime and the said titanium oxid said titanate of lime, from which may be derived the requisite amount of titanium, and also the required amount of lime for combination with the carbon.

The temperature of the charge being raised sufficiently to insure reduction of the titanium compound under the conditions mentioned, there is formed alike in all the cases mentioned, and by the resulting reactions, metallic titanium, which, passing through'the lime, dissolves in the bath of molten lead below to produce the desired alloy of titanium and lead, and there is also formed, superimposed and maintained abovethe said alloy during its formation a coating of calcium carbid, which, possessing reductive properties, promotes reduction of said compound of titanium and simultaneously effectually protects the said metals from substantially all. alterations by oxidation, volatilization, or otherwise. It is preferable to add on the surface of the said melted carbid of calcium, toward the close ofthe operation, an additional covering or blanket of carbon in order to insure a reducing atmosphere throughout the furnace. Reactions so occurring-in cases in which oxid of calcium and oxid of titanium are employed may be illustrated by the following formulae CaO+C =CaC +Co.

The resulting alloy may be tapped in any I regard it as advisable in some. cases to add carbon in excess of the quantity strictly required by the said formulae, saidsurplus of carbon being not only to guard against possible contingencies, but also in order to insure, in cases in which lime is used for the covering, decomposition of any accidentally formed titanate of lime, which compound, however, would nevertheless, even were it to remain intact until the end of the operation, be evacuated with the carbid of calcium with no greater detriment to thesuccess of the operation, or to the qualities of the resulting alloy, than a possibly small, though undesired, loss of titanic acid. It is obvious that the amount of said excess of carbon will ,be readily determined according to the requirements of each case by those skilled in the metallurgical art.

It will be appreciated that in the production of said alloy of titanium and lead a concentrate of titanium oxidand oxid of lead may be employed instead. of titanium oxid pure and simple and with e uivalent results, a proper amount of carbon eing, in such case, however, added sufficient to reduce also the oxid of lead and the resulting instead of titanium oxid alone, titaniumoxid and the oxid of lead are employed. Furthermore, those so skilled will readily understand the various proportionings of titanium oxid or other titanic material employed to furnish to the metallic bath the required percentage of titanium.

What I claim as new a'nd desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following, viz

1. The method of producing an alloy comprising titanium and lead which comprises producing over a bath containing molten lead a covering comprising carbon, titanium in chemical combination reducible by carbon, and calcium in chemical combination reducible by carbon, and imparting to the whole a temperature suflicient to insure liberation of metallic titanium by carbon reduction.

2. The method of producing an-alloy comprising titanium with lead which comprises superimposing over a bath containing molten lead a covering comprising carbon, oxid of titanium, and a compound of calcium and imparting to the whole a temperature sufficient to insure. reduction of said gxid of titanium under the conditions speci- 3. The method of producing an alloy or compound of titanium with lead which comprises superimposing over a bath of molten lead a covering of molten oxid of calcium, superimposing above said oxid of calcium 02nd of titanium and carbon and imparting to the whole a temperature suflicient to insure reduction of such oxids under the conditions specified. 4. The--. method of producing an alloy or compound of titanium and lead which comprises superimposing over a bath containing molten lead a covering comprising carbon, a compound of titanium reducible by carbon, and oxid of calcium, and imparting to the whole a, temperature suflicient'to insure liberation of metallic titanium by carbon reduction.

AUGUSTE J. ROSSI. Witnesses:

WALTER D. EnMoNns, PHILIP C. 'PEGK. 

